‘Keep in mind’ – Neil Jones namedrops ‘very Fabinho-type player’ as one for Reds to ‘look out for’

Neil Jones has named one midfielder from the Portuguese top flight as a potential ‘like-for-like replacement’ for Fabinho at Liverpool.The Brazil international has been the subject of a £40m bid from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ittihad and hasn’t travelled with the Reds squad to their pre-season camp in Germany.Those factors strongly hint at a potentially imminent […]

The post ‘Keep in mind’ – Neil Jones namedrops ‘very Fabinho-type player’ as one for Reds to ‘look out for’ appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Neil Jones has named one midfielder from the Portuguese top flight as a potential ‘like-for-like replacement’ for Fabinho at Liverpool.

The Brazil international has been the subject of a £40m bid from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ittihad and hasn’t travelled with the Reds squad to their pre-season camp in Germany.

Those factors strongly hint at a potentially imminent departure for the 29-year-old, who’ll need replacing in the number 6 role at Anfield.

While Romeo Lavia has been a much-cited transfer target, and other names like Kalvin Phillips and Sofyan Amrabat have also been floated, Jones identified a player from the Primeira Liga as one to ‘look out for’.

Speaking on his new YouTube channel Neil Jones: Covering Liverpool, the journalist said: “A name that I would urge you to look out for is Florentino Luis, who plays for Benfica. I think he’s one who could come into consideration.

“He’s a very Fabinho-type player in terms of defensive midfielder, gets about the pitch, gets his foot in, strong in the tackle, really good defensively. If Liverpool are looking for a like-for-like replacement for Fabinho, they could do a lot worse than look at Florentino Luis.

“Just keep an eye on that name. I haven’t heard if there’s anything moving yet in that regard but it’s certainly one I would keep in mind.”

Florentino is a name who’s been on Liverpool’s radar for a while, with reports back in March detailing that scouts from Merseyside had been dispatched to keep tabs on the player.

His stats certainly make for impressive reading – as per FBref, he ranks among the top 4% of positional peers in Europe for tackles (3.48), interceptions (2.67) and completed passes (78.79) per game over the past 12 months, and also for pass completion with an 89.7% success rate.

Having also played in all of Benfica’s games in their run to the Champions League quarter-finals last season, the 23-year-old can boast high-level experience, so he may indeed be a name to watch over the rest of the transfer window.

You can see Jones’ comments on Florentino below (from 2:44), via Neil Jones: Covering Liverpool on YouTube:

The post ‘Keep in mind’ – Neil Jones namedrops ‘very Fabinho-type player’ as one for Reds to ‘look out for’ appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.